Midland Power Cooperative recently marked two significant safety accomplishments.
Earlier this year, the cooperative surpassed 300,000 employee hours worked without a lost time accident. This amounts to more than three years of employees working safely. These hours include hazardous storm recovery efforts, including the storm on December 15, 2021, that left roughly a quarter of Midland’s members in the dark.
“Our employees and board of directors are committed to our culture of safety,” said Bill McKim, Midland Power’s CEO. “It’s a philosophy that extends throughout the co-op, from the board room to the crew rooms. This achievement was only possible because of Midland’s employees. Their dedication to service and safety is remarkable.”
Midland’s operations and field staff also recently completed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10 training course. The two-day class covered a variety of safety topics and served as a broad-based refresher on the most common workplace dangers. Midland Power is only the second electric cooperative in the state to have completed the course.
“We place safety at the forefront of all we do,” said Chase Bachman, Midland Power’s director of safety and the only OSHA-authorized trainer working at a distribution electric co-op in the state. “The OSHA 10 course is just another example of the importance we place on keeping our employees safe. From the crews in the field to the employees in the office, safety truly is a team game. It takes everyone working together to stay safe.”
Employees marked the 300,000-hour milestone and OSHA 10 course completion during their monthly safety meeting earlier this month.
